Guided Half Day Horseshoe Bend

Your trip begins at Lee’s Ferry, the historic launch point for river travel into the Grand Canyon. From here, you’ll board a motorboat for a scenic 10-mile ride upstream, allowing us to quickly reach one of the most dramatic sections of the canyon.

We travel upriver toward the base of Horseshoe Bend, where the Colorado River curves through massive sandstone walls carved over millions of years. In this section of Glen Canyon, the cliffs of Navajo Sandstone rise approximately 900–1,200 feet above the river, creating one of the most dramatic landscapes in the American Southwest.

Our boat lands at Petroglyph Beach, where we step out to explore ancient rock carvings etched into the canyon walls. 

These petroglyphs were created by Indigenous peoples who traveled through this canyon long before modern dams existed. Archaeological evidence shows the region was used by the Ancestral Puebloan peoples (often called the Anasazi by early archaeologists), and later by tribes connected to the region today including:

• The Navajo Nation (Diné)
  
  
• The Hopi Tribe
  
  
• The San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe
  
  
• The Kaibab Band of Paiute Indians
  

After exploring the petroglyph site and taking photos beneath the towering canyon walls, we launch our kayaks and begin our 10-mile paddle downstream through Glen Canyon. The current of the Colorado River helps carry us along as we paddle beneath sheer sandstone cliffs and wide desert skies

The canyon walls and desert plateaus surrounding this stretch of the river are home to a surprising variety of wildlife. Keep your eyes on the cliffs and beaches—you may spot the iconic Desert Bighorn Sheep navigating the steep canyon walls.

Along the way we will make a stop at Waterholes Canyon for a short hike into a beautiful side canyon known for its sculpted sandstone and desert vegetation. 

Another unforgettable sight along this section of river is the small population of wild horses that roam the canyon near Horseshoe Bend. These horses are believed to be descendants of animals introduced to the region by Spanish explorers in the 1500s and later by ranchers and settlers in the 1800s.

The trip finishes back at Lee’s Ferry, completing a unique river journey beneath the towering cliffs of Horseshoe Bend.

**There is a $80 per person backhaul service fee that is included in the price. **